Alex Pearce proves why we need a new centre back

We have spent the summer being told that we don’t need a new centre back as we have Alex Pearce to supplement first choice Matt Mills and Ivar Ingimarsson. Saturdays opening fixture of the season against Scunthorpe proved exactly the opposite.

Pearce is one of the worst defenders I have ever seen in my 20 years following the club, and an afternoon at the Madejski Stadium reminded me of that.

I was one of many of his critics last season, and the one before that, and I thought McDermott has realised this after he dropped him down the pecking order. Now be it by default or (I hope not) choice, he is back at the heart of our defence making mistake after mistake.

Ok so he was not at fault for either goal we conceded but his positional sense is dreadful. He also cannot pass to save his life, so often hoofing the ball forward to nobody. This was even more of a mistake on Saturday because Scunthorpe have the tallest centre back in the league, with Shane Long highly unlikely to win too much in the air against him.

He did almost cost us a third goal when he allowed Jonathan Forte in near the end, but the visitors striker was wrongly given offside.

McDermott needs to realise that this guy is not good enough for a team that wants to compete in the top half of the Championship this season, and he must persuade the chairman of this before the transfer window closes. Whether we fork out the money need to get Zurab Kizhanishvili back, or go for someone else, we must act quickly.

To think it was less than a year ago that Brendan Rodgers was comparing him to John Terry!